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10.19.2016

NVIDIA Announces New Entry-Level Graphics Cards

GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti Launch October 25th

NVIDIA’s new launch schedule following the Pascal GPU architecture continues with two new entry-level cards. The GeForce GTX 1050 will have 2 GB GDDR5 memory and 640 Cuda Cores. Its Ti version will have 4GB of GDDR5 memory and 768 Cuda Cores. A GTX 1050 card will retail around $109, while a 1050 Ti will be about $139.

“The Pascal architecture has many improvements over Maxwell, including energy efficiency and an exponential leap in performance.”

The Pascal architecture also introduces new artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and a new memory design. Their AI algorithms aren’t particularly useful for gaming, but will help in deep learning applications. Chip on Wafer on Substrate (CoWoS) combines data and processor to provide a 3x boost in memory bandwidth performance. Both cards will draw 75W, the maximum allowed for a PCIe slot. NVIDIA will allow partner companies to sell factory overclocked cards, which will require an external power connector.

“NVIDIA hopes to tap the same market as they did for the GTX 750 and 750 Ti.”

NVIDIA hopes to tap the same market as they did for the GTX 750 and 750 Ti. The x50 cards are meant to be a step up from integrated GPUs, rather than a high-end solution. 2014’s GTX 750s served well and sold well (I myself use a 750 Ti), but can’t run many games at 1080p with maxed settings. In a bit of a twist, there will be no Founder's Edition cards, so all 1050 cards will be vendor custom designs.

Although the official launch for the cards is the 25th, it may be a bit longer until gamers can get their hands on them. The GTX 1050 Ti will be available next week, but the 1050 won’t be. Vendors’ 1050 cards won’t be available until a later, but will be sold as soon as vendors have them.

The GTX 1050 series will directly compete with AMD’s RX 460 and RX 480. AMD has had two months alone in the current generation mid-range card space, and reception has been positive. We’ll have to wait for initial reviews and sales, but NVIDIA’s newest cards have a lot of potential.

Both cards are unavailable at time of writing, but those interested can sign up to be notified on release here.